Railway-signal.



Patented Nov. 5, 1912.

wuemtoz (IA. 670mm Wag J. A. SHAW.

RAILWAY SIGNAL.

APPLICATION FILED 313.11, 1911.

7 a K. M 6 l x w'i tmmm X JOSEPH A. SHAW, 0F RIMERSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA.

RAILWAY-SIGNAL.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed February 11, 1911,

Patented Nov. 5, 1912. Serial No. 608,023.

paratus by means of which the conductor of a train can signal the engineer, the, object of the invention being to combine with the lever of the valve means operated thereby, for closing an electric circuit including an electric signaling lamp or other translating device, whereby when the conductor pulls the signal cord in a coach to open a discharge or release valve in one end of the coach in order to signal the engineer, the

lamps will .be caused. to flash and thereby assure him that the valve has operated.

The invention consists in the construction, combination and arrangement of devices hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawingsF1gure l is a vertical sectional View of a train signaling valve operated with my improved circuit closing device. Fig. 2 is a detail sectional view of the same on the plane indicated by the line a.-a of Fig. 1.

The signal valve 1 is of the usual constru'ction. The body of the valve is indicated at 2, and has a chamber 3, a by-pass 4, a connection 5 to the signal whistle, a valve seat 6 at the inner end of the connection 5, and to which the duct or by-pass 4 leads, an opening 7 in the bottom of the body 2, and which communicates with the by-pass 4, and a bushing 8 in the said opening 7, said bushing having a head 9, which bears on the boss or portion 10 of the valve casing, through which the said opening 7 extends.

The cover 11 of the body 1 is provided with a connection 12 for the signal line or train pipe. A diaphragm 13 is secured between the body of the valve casing and the cover 11, the cover having a chamber 14, above the diaphragm which chamber communicates with the signal line at 15, and also communicates with the by-pass 4 at 16. The

valve 17 closes on the seat 6 and has a stem 18 which extends through and operates in the bushing 8. The upper portion ofthe valve stem is cylindrical in form and fits closely in the bushing. Its lower portion is provided with channels 19 and there is also a circumferential channel 20 in the valve stem which is normally below the upper end of the bushing as when the valve is in its closed position on the valve seat 6. valve stem has a head 21 which bears against the under side of the diaphragm 13 and also has a threaded projection 22 which extends through a central opening in the diaphragm, a washer or disk 23' being secured on the upperside of the diaphragm by a nut 24 which is screwed on the threaded stud 22 so that the diaphragm is clamped between the head 21 and the disk 23 and hence the valve stem is attached to the diaphragm. The valve stem has an upwardly extending arm 25 which operates in astufiing box 26 with which the cover is provided.

A bracket 27 is secured on the cover by a bolt 28 and has a vertical arm 29 provided at its upper end with a threaded stem 30. A clevis 31 is secured to the said stem, and hence is vertically adjustable and is provided at its upper end with a pair of ears or lugs 32 between which is disposed the inner end of the valve lever 83, said valve lever being fulcrumed on a bolt 34 which passes through the said lugs or ears. clevis 35 which is similar to the clevis 31 is screwed on the threaded stem "of the valve arm 25 and hence is adjustable thereon, and is pivotally connected to the valve lever as at 36. Jam nuts 37, 38 are respectively 10-.

cated on the threaded stems of the arms 29, 25, and coact with the clevises to secure the latter at any desired vertical adjustment.

\ A bracket 39 is secured onthe cover by a bolt 40,.and is provided at its outer end with a fork 41, the sides 42 of which are provided with oppositely disposed horizontal arms 43 which extend toward each other, and form the corev or pole pieces of electro-magnets, the windings 44 of the electro-magnets being-included in open circuit with the electric signaling lamps or'ot-her translating devices at the ends of the car and also in the engineers cab.. Contact strips 45 are insulated from the pole or core pieces of the eleetro-magnets by insulators 46 each of which has an arm e7 that bears against the under side of one of the core pieces and a vertical arm 48 which bears against the end thereof. The said contact strips are secured to the insulators by screws 48* which also connect said contact strips electrically with the windings of the electro-magnet, and the said contact strips and the insulators are secured to the core pieces by screws 49. .The lever 33 operates in the space between the core pieces of the electro-magnet and is provided with a contact strip 50 which is secured thereto, and insulated therefrom, the insulator being shown at 51. The said contact strip 50 is normally below the opposed horizontal arms 52 of the contact strips 45.

The operation of the invention is as follows: Normally the pressure of the air is equal in the chamber 3 below the diaphragm 1.3, and in the chamber Ll above said diaphragm. When the conductor wishes to signal the engineer, he pulls the usual signal cord and hence opens the usual releasing valve which allows air to escape from the signal line and hence the pressure'in the chamber let is reduced. Hence owing to the greater pressure in the chamber 3, the diaphragm 13 is moved upwardly, thereby opening the valve 17 from theseat 6, and permitting air from the signal line to pass through the duct 4: or bypass and through the connection 5 to the signal whistle so as to blow the whistle, and the whistle continues to blow until the leakage of air from the chamber 3 through the bushing 9 and thechannels in the valve stem brings about an equalization of pressure in the chambers 3 and l4 and hence causes the diaphragm to reclose the valve 17 against the seat 6. When the valve is moved upwardly by the diaphragm as above stated, owing to the connection between the valve and the lever 33 said lever is moved upwardly at its free end and causes its contact strip 50 to engage the arms 52 of the contact strips 45 and thereby close the electric circuit which includes the signal lamps in the ends of the coach and the signal lamp in the engineers cab thereby causing the said lamps to flash thus indicating both to the engineer and to the conductor that the signal devices have been operated. Should the signal whistle fail to blow the engineer will realize that the ipe leading from the signal valve to the signal whistle has become clogged or else that the signaling apparatus is otherwise out of order, and will take steps accordingly.

Should the conductor when he pulls the signal cord, fail to see the lamps flash at the ends of the coach, he will be apprised by that fact that there is something wrong with the signal system.

It sometimes happens owin to the noise of the train and atmospherlc conditions, that the conductor fails to hear the engineer answer his signal with the locomotive whistle when he pulls the signal cord. My improved devices which cause electric lamps or other signaling devices to be operated, by the signal valve, enable the conductor to know positively'that the signal system is in working order.

By the provision of the electro-magnets on the arms of the brackets 39, the circuit closing elements 50, 52 are included in a magnetic field, which has the effect, when the circuit is broken, of subduing the electric arc in the gap between said circuit closing elements and preventing the said are from burning away said elements as rapidly as would otherwise be the case.

I claim 1. A device of the character described, including a lever, means for moving said lever, an angular arm, a support to which one end of said arm is secured, the other end of said arm being projected upwardly and formed with a fork, the upper extremities of the members of the fork being turned inwardly toward each other and spaced one from the other, electro-magnets mounted on said inturned extremities and of which said extremities constitute the pole pieces, angular contact strips connected to said electromagnets and insulated from the pole pieces thereof, a contact member carried by the said lever at one end of the latter and normally lying below the upper extremities of the first named contact pieces, whereby an upward movement of said end of the lever will efiect the contact of the first named contact pieces with the contact carried by the lever, and a normally open circuit in which'said electro magnets are included.

2. In a deviceof the character described,

the combination of a lever, a support therefor, means for raising and lowering said lever, an angular arm, asupport to which one end of said arm s secured, the other end of said arm being extended upwardly and formed with a fork, the upper extremities of the members of the fork being turned inwardly toward the other, electro-magnetsmounted on said extremities and of which said extremities constitute pole pieces, angular contact pieces secured to the electro-magnets and insulated from the pole pieces thereof and formed with upper inwardly turned extremities, a transversely extendin contact piece carried by the free end of said lever and adapted to be moved upwardly thereby into contact with the inwardly turned extremities of the first named contact ieces, and a normally open circuit in whic said electro-magnets are included.

3. In a device of the character described, a lever, a support therefor, means for moving said lever, an angular arm, a supportto which one end of said arm is connected, the other end of said arm projecting upwardly and being formed with a fork, con-, the inwardly turned extremities of the first tact pieces formed with extremities turned named contact pieces. 10 toward each other and arran in laterally In testimony whereof I hereunto afiix my spaced relation and carried y the respecsignaturein the presence of two witnesses.

tive members of the fork, and a contact JOSEPH A. SHAW. 1 piece carried by the free end of said lever Witnesses: v and insulated therefrom and adapted to be G. M. MCNAUGHTON,

raisedby said lever into cent with P. M. KABTER. 

